Improvement in devices for starting and stopping cars



P.` RHOADS.

Car Starter..

Patented March 187k Wwsses.-

UNr'rEID STATES PATENT EEIcE.

.rEILIe-nEoADs, or cAELisLE, PENNSYLVANIA. y

IMPRQVEMENT IN` Dif-vices FOR STARTING AND sToPPINe CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 112,494, dated March 7, 1871.

Be it known that I, PHILIP RHOADs,of the borough of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland and State of Pennsylvania,- have invented a new and Improved Device for Starting and Stopping Railroad-Cars and Ihereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 represents a top` or plan view; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section at m" w, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a top view of the chain-drum a', showing the inclined-faced stud, with the brake-shaft and pins in position to work said drum; Fig. 4:, a vertical section through the center of the drums a a', which are slightly separated to show the pins a u in their progress upward or downward into the inclinedfaced studs. according to the right or left action of the brake-shaft.

The invention consists in starting and stopping'cars by` means of a brake-shaft passing through cylinders or drums, each disconnected and acting independently of the other; and by c the right or left action of said shaft it operates,

respectively, reither upon the car-starter or carbrake by means of chains or ropes attached'to the same and operated upon by their respective drums.

' '.lo enableV others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

' A represents the car-truck; B B', the wheels 5 G C', the axles. Upon the axle O is firmly secured a large ratchet-wheel, D, constructed in two pieces, so that it can be placed on the axle withoutremoving the car-wheel, it being `bolted and keyed in position, and is operated upon by a small ratchet-wheel, E, attached to the lever F, whenit is designed to `start the car.

The ratchet-wheel E is supported in place by hangers G, suspended from rod H in the truck-frame, and` so slanted as to swing the small ratchet-wheel into gear with the larger one. This ratchet-wheel E is provided with four holes for the introduction of pins i, two of which are placed diagonally, one above and the other below the lever F, so that when one set of ratchets is 4worn out the pinspi can be shifted into the other holes, allowing another or new set of ratchet-teeth to be brought into gear with ratchet-wheel D.

The lever F is pivotedl to the center of the small ratchet-wheel, upon the shaft of which it turns. From its peculiar form or shape, as

said lever is raised fromv the vguard V, as hereinafter described, its under and upper sides are brought into contact with the pins i i, forcing into gear the two ratchet-wheels, the whole forming a powerful leverage for starting cars, while, at the same time, owing to the peculiar construction of the small` ratchetwheel aud its hangers, allowing them to ride back, and giving the driver' time to throw the machine out of gear, there can be no clicking of ratchets while in gear.

I is a spring, bearing on the hangers Gr, to assist in keeping the wheels in gear. .I is a weight, attached to chain or rope K, passing over pulley L, and connecting with the small ratchet-wheel at m, to return it toits place when out of gear. Fis a swinging lever, which is operated by the chain or rope S attached to the weight l? in the lever F. The chain S passes over the pulley Q, and is iirmly secured to the upper chain-drum, a, and by its upward or downward motion gears or ungears the ratchet-wheels; V, the guard for the lever to rest on when not in use. a a are chain drums, and b the shifting-cylinder, through all of which the brake-shaft T passes. The brakeshaft has pins 'a a resting upon the shifting cylinder b, and similar pins a' u between the two drums a al, which pins are made toroperate the drumsby being brought into contact with the inclined-faced studs d. The shifting cylinder b is constructed with inclines q q, up- Y on which the pins u u ride, raising or lowering the brake-shaft from one chain-drum to the other.

t is a small spring, which prevents the shifting-cylinder b from turning with the brakeshaft too freely.

The operation of the machine is as follows: By turning the brake-shaft inthe direction of the arrow, Fig. '1, it is raised by means of the pins u a working on the inclines q q of the shifting-cylinder. The pins a u are brought into contact with the studs d on the under side of the drum a, said drum thus being turned and winding up the chain attached to the swinging lever F, which will be elevated, bringing the small ratchet-Wheel into gear and starting the car, which, when accomplished, the brake-shaft is allowed to drop into its original position, disengaging the two ratchets. By the reverse action of the brake-shaft the pinsu' u Will be brought into contact with the studs el on the drum a', which Will revolve said drum and Wind up the chain or rope attached to the brake-leverf, which Works the brake f', and thereby stop the car.

It will be seen that when the driver chan ges from the brake to the starting-machine the brake chain or rope S' will be released.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The pins 9'., arranged diagonally upon the ratchet-Wheel E, and operating in reference to the swinging' lever F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The guard V, in combination with the swinging lever F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The swinging' lever F, the chain or rope S, in combination with the gear-Wheels E and F and inclined hangers G, as and for the purpose herein described.

4. The two drums a a', constructed as described, and arranged upon the brake-shaft of a car, one operating upon the car-starter and the other upon the car-brake, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The shifting-'cylinder b, in combination with spring t and shaft T, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

PHILIP RHOADS.

Witnesses:

WM. D. WERT, H. B. CORNELIUS. 

